Unrelated Meme

Last Minute Questions

This is where I am answering last minute questions and texts that I am receiving from everyone.

From Alan: Is it safe to drink the water in American Samoa?

In general, the water may be safe to drink in American Samoa. Basically, the water is chlorinated and locals drink it from the tap with no problems. However, some strains of E. coli which you may not have immunity for, could be present in small concentrations causing diarrhea. Bottled water is recommended for the first few weeks while your body develops immunity.

Apparently on Tutuila there are a ton of vending machines that dispense drinking water with your American coins.

Read here about a high school student's Science Fair project that claims that water vending machines contain dirty water.

Is the water safe to drink in Western Samoa?

The water in Samoa is generally safe to drink, although we recommend that travellers purchase bottled water, which is widely available. Ice used at most eating spots, nightclubs and bars is generally prepared from treated water, and is therefore usually safe to drink – but if in doubt, ask your waiter first.
 
On Upolu we will have the means to boil and refrigerate our water.

From Alan: Is there a fee to exchange currency?

The fee is actually buried in the exchange rate. For example, if the market exchange rate is 2.5 Tala for US$1, then at the exchange booth, you will see signs that they are buying US dollars for 2.25 Tala. They then take your US dollar and sell it to their wholesalers for 2.5 Tala, and they pocket the 0.25 Tala as their profit.

The airport is the worst place to exchange money because the moneychangers know that you are desperate for local currency, and their rates are steep. I am bringing $300 worth of Tala which will buy us the bus fair to Apia where you can change money at the local market (I read that there is a foreign exchange booth at the local market). We will land on Saturday when the banks are closed, but there should be an ATM in Apia that dispenses tala when you put your card in. Probably steep fees on the ATM as well.

Then, when you leave Samoa, you have to convert your leftover tala back to dollars, and you will pay a vig on that exchange as well.

From Alan: Can I expect my medical insurance to cover me in Samoa?

In American Samoa, if it is a standard medical issue like a broken leg or a tropical rash, I think they treat it free at the Lyndon B Johnson Medical Center. Nathan works there so he can help us out.

In Samoa, Google says:

• Health care facilities in Samoa are adequate for routine medical treatment, but are limited in range and availability. Doctors and hospitals often expect immediate cash payment for health services. In the event of a medical emergency, evacuation to Australia, New Zealand or Hawaii is likely to be the only option for treatment, and you should ensure that your insurance policy covers this. Difficulties may arise in obtaining some specialized prescription medicines in Samoa.

Fees for medical attention are fairly cheap, and you should probably get a receipt and then submit it to your insurance for reimbursement.

From Alan: What is better: Cash, Travellers Checks or Credit Cards?

Credit Cards are widely accepted at major hotels, restaurants and stores. (MC and Visa- Not Amex). There should be no problem in American Samoa, but in Western Samoa everything you put on your credit card will be charged a 3% forex fee. For example, you buy a kava bowl for 200 Tala. You charge the 200 Tala onto your credit card. At the time of purchase, the vendor will charge 200 Tala and also self-report that day's exchange rate of 2.5 Tala to US$1. The bank then charges you $80 US, and tacks on a 3% or $2.40 as a fee, for a total of $82.40.

The vendor has no incentive to monkey with the stated exchange rate, because he doesn't benefit from it. Also, the bank verifies that the vendor's exchange rate is in line with the worldwide reported exchange rate. The bank doesn't money with the exchange rate, because it makes its money from the 3% fee.

I would bring a few hundred dollars in cash to pay for admission fees to village beaches and to small family eating establishments. Anything expensive, I would use my credit card. Don't forget that your $1700 pays for all of the big expenditures, so unless you are planning on buying some expensive art work or something, no need to bring a lot of money. Maybe a credit card for emergencies.

If you have more questions, please send them in so I can answer.

 

 

So we're going to church...

Dad wanted us to all go to church, and we can schedule it in American Samoa, so we're going to church in the sticks. Almost at the end of the road.

Look at this gorgeous location - Click here for a 360 degree view of Tulao 1st Ward

 
 



So what extra things do we need to pack for this? To get away with a little as possible, here is what we pack:

Men:

Pack a short sleeve white shirt and tie. (Or nice aloha shirt)
On Saturday, the men will buy an ie faitaga which Alan said he wanted to get anyway, and Dad could always use one. They are cheap, probably around $15-20 US.
For footwear, you can wear sneakers or rubber slippers.

Women:
I'm thinking that the easiest way to dress is to pack a slim skirt, and then just pair it with a tshirt and rubber slippers. Aunt Jeanette told me that they dress up with nylon hose, and high heels and fancy dresses in the city, but out in the country we can get away with a more casual look. Who wants to wipe off the makeup sliding down your face?

Church:
We will go to sacrament meeting, so we will be leaving the hotel at 6:45am in order to get there in time. Then we will enjoy the scenary on our nice long drive to the chapel. Church is from 8am to 9:15am, and is in Samoan, although sometimes they switch to English when they are quoting scripture.

Hymns:
The best thing about Samoan worship services is the singing. Mom always said, referring to long ago when Samoa was still a New Zealand colony and everyone went to church, that "the men's voices were so beautiful and the women's voices were so harsh and shrill." What do you think?



Download the Hymnal in the Samoan language:
Join in worship by downloading the hymnal in Samoan. You won't have any idea what you are singing about, but you can follow along as loudly as you want. As a bonus, the Samoan Hymnal is filled with translations of antiquated songs that have long been phased out of the English hymnals, but are still included in Samoan.

IOS:
Go to the app store and search for LDS Hymns Samoan. Download the app called Samoan Hymns by Jeff Mahe. The hymnal is called Vi'iga. There you will find LDS standards such as We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet, and Come, Come Ye Saints. You will also find hymns such as the Methodist song Hail to the Brightness of Zion's Glad Morning, and the Baptist Do Not Pass Me By.

Android:
The same app, Samoan Hymns by Jeff Mahe is available for download, but I have not been able to get it to work. Maybe you'll have better luck, although I think that our family is all iphone.

Valuables: Jewelry and Cameras and Wallet Items

Jewelry: just one more thing to have to keep track of-- Do you really need to bring your collection of jewelery when we will be doing as much swimming, snorkeling, and hiking as we are?

If it's costume jewelery, it will just tarnish in the salt water and salt air. It's not safe to keep in the car, and sometimes the car will be far away from where we will be hiking/swimming.

If you need to bring jewelry, I will be bringing the following 3 waterproof pouches:

They are sturdy, waterproof, and they float in the water. I am planning to put credit cards, drivers licenses, cash, and keys in them.

I checked and I was able to fit my passport in these cases.

In order to keep the vinyl bright and clear, remove this from your neck as you spray yourself with sun tan lotion and bug spray. Especially the bug spray, which will cloud the clear vinyl.

Also, cameras can fit in them, and you can use your camera to take pictures through them, although I think that once the case gets scratched up, the picture will not be clear.

I took this picture of Lucy with my iphone in the case. Pretty clear.

Note that if you want to use this kind of waterproof case to take underwater pictures, your pressure sensitive button will not work under water, because the water is also exerting pressure on the phone. The button will wake up the phone, but will not recognize your thumbprint. You will need to turn your thumbprint security off under water (don't worry, you can still enter in your passcode). Also, instead of triggering a photo using the camera app button, you will need to trigger the photo by using one of the volume up-down buttons. It is easy to switch your camera to do this.

Or you can pay a little extra and get a case that has a pressure sensitive button panel, like this one:

iPhone waterproof case with pressure sensitive panel, $9.99 from Amazon

Finally, you can buy a waterproof/shockproof/fallproof case for your camera. I have one and it protects the camera very well. The down side to having one of  these cases on your camera are:

• When people call you on the phone, your voice is muted and muffled. You have to pull out the plug stop just so people can hear you.
• When you recharge your phone, you have to pull out the plug stop to get the charger in.
• When you attach any phone device such as a memory card, you have to pull out the plug stop to use the attachment.
• These cases are quite bulky, and your phone may not fit a gimbal or other phone attachments
• Once you put on one of these indestructo phone cases, it's on to stay. You can take it off using a butter knife, but it is very hard to put on and take off. It's not meant to be temporary, such as when swimming at the beach one time. Every time you remove one of these cases, it gets the inside of the case a little more dusty, and makes the case a little less waterproof.

If you dont want to bring your expensive wedding ring, but you want the ladies and gents to know you are off the market, try one of these Kauai silicon rings for the trip for $5.99. Be warned though, if you have a silicone sensitivity, you may be a rash. For the two weeks of the trip, it might work okay.

Kauai Silicone Wedding Rings from Amazon, $5.99

Friends and Relatives: Aunu'u Island

Edward and I wandered over to Aunu'u one day. Sitting at the dock in Auasi was a girl a bit younger than me, and we got to talking. She asked me what church did I belong to (In Samoa it is never "Do you go to Church," but "What Church do you go to?") and when I told her Lotu Mamona, she got excited and invited me home. It was 25 years ago, and I don't remember much, but I still have pictures of her home and family.

Here are the parents of the family. I hope that they are still there when we go back to map Aunu'u.

Here we are eating lunch. Look at Edward!!!!
















This was the LDS Chapel 25 years ago. An open sided fale. It is now a huge stake center, with lots of classrooms.

Beautiful coconut crab. This one is dead, killed with a swift blow by the bush knife in the background. It lives on land, and Dad says it's meat is so sweet, since it lives on nothing but coconut.

Budget Extras

So here are the costs for the Extras. Most of these are meals. You can opt out of the meal altogether, and your cost will be $0. You can choose to participate at a low level, and order something cheap on the menu, and your cost is estimated under the "Lo" cost column. Or you can order something expensive and your cost is estimated under the "Hi" cost column. Note that these are my best estimates from looking at online menus. Some of the information may be old. Please plan accordingly.

Two rows highlighted in purple or blue indicate that these activities more or less replace each other. For example, in the top two rows, you can either choose to eat breakfast at BNQH, or you can use that time to run errands in Apia Town. If you choose the latter, you should use some of the time to grab something to eat.

In addition, Mom has sponsored the Dinner at Bistro Tatau, and you can order off the menu up to SAT100 and mom will cover it. Yeah Mom!

Please note that if you opt out of a meal, you need to budget money to get your food elsewhere. There are plenty of grocery stores and markets where you can buy food.

If you're wondering about some of these extras, below are links to the establishments. I have recommended 5 of these restaurants-- if you can only go to a few of these, I would select these five for food or ambience or for the Samoan experience.

BNQH
Maketi Fou - This is a market, no purchase necessary
MacDonalds in Tafuna
Maliu Mai Nightclub
Don't Drink the Water Cafe (DDW Cafe) - Recommended
Fagatogo Market - This is a store, no purchase necessary
Sook's Sushi Restaurant
Young's Market - This is a store, no purchase necessary
Goat Island Cafe - Menu here
De Tamalelei Seaside Grill - Featuring the Teriyaki Katsu plate lunch
Tisa's Barefoot Grill - Recommended for atmosphere, exterior and interior.
Paddles Restaurant - Recommended
Palusami Restaurant
Legend's Cafe - Recommended
Tifaimoana Indian Restaurant
Apia Yacht Club
Mailelani - This is a store, no purchase necessary
Y-Not Club -
The Edge Restaurant and Tapas Bar - Recommended
Amoa Resort
Taefu T. Matafeo Store - This is a store, no purchase necessary
Le Sogaimiti Restaurant

Dad: 25 Years Ago

Dad was drifting around the Pacific when I visited Samoa with Iulia's family, and he was able to join me. Together we drove to Sauniatu for a day, and here he is on another day when we went to the beach.

 Dad and I at Return to Paradise Beach, circa 1992(?) The beach was named after a Gary Cooper movie, based on a James Michener book. The movie was filmed here.













You can't really even go to this beach any more because now it is a high priced resort.

Really bad camera, but one of the first underwater models ever made. It was good for about 3 uses before the seal failed and water got in the camera, ruining it forever. Ouch for a $300 camera!

Dad is having fun.











Dad in the ubiquitous pose you find on any beach in the world. I look at this picture and think, what I wouldn't give to retake this photograph close up, so I can actually see his face. I am so happy we are returning to Samoa, and I promise I will take a thousand pictures of him.

Friends and Relatives: Si'umu

I can't believe that it's been 25 years since I first met the Taula Family from Si'umu. I'd like to stop by and see the family. I am hazy on the details, but I know that they are Iulia's family, and we are related to Iulia through marriage to Aunt Siva's family somehow. No matter-- they welcomed me in and I stayed with them for two weeks. I wonder who is still there. I dug through my old photos, and found these faded pictures. Here they are all dressed for Sunday church. Such a great looking family!

Lotogia was about 15 at the time.

The parents in their front yard in Si'umu. I don't remember their names so if you know, please tweet me.

Leutu hosted me and showed me how to shower modestly in the open using a lava lava.

Their mother is such a beautiful woman. Here I caught her weaving mats.

Because their fale is open, they keep their valuables in the credenza in the background. 

They had several buildings on their property, including cooking fale, main fale, storage, and a western-style block cinder house. But the elders prefer the fale because it is much cooler and traditional. This fale is super nice, with the concrete retaining wall with the diamond cut ins.

Middle siblings

The youngest girl was so cute and mischevious!

The western-style house has the western-style furniture.

This woman is Iulia, who introduced me to the family. She is sitting here with the eldest son.

This is the only picture with names written on the back. From left, Vena, Lotogia, Natasha, Me and Lapreal. Natasha and Lapreal are Iulia's daughters.

I hope to stop by and briefly visit and find out what has become of everyone!

Final Budget

Here are the final numbers. This page explains what makes up the $1,700 trip budget:

The cost of extras ranges anywhere from $0 (if you opt to not do any of the extras) to $300 (if you opt to do 100% of the extras). I will list the extra details so you can decide if you want to participate or not.

Also, mom has agreed to sponsor a dinner for anyone who cannot afford it as an extra. I will post info about her sponsorship as well. Check back on this page for the info.

Nathan is in!

And we hope Ava and the boys can join us as well!

You may remember that Nathan is paying off his student loans by working in an underserved community, and he picked American Samoa. The whole family has been there for about a year.

I booked time on our trip to visit the LBJ Medical Center there in Pago Pago where Nathan works, and I asked him if we could come visit him at work, and would he give us a tour of his workplace. He said yes, so we will get to see him and the wonders of dentistry in Am Sam.


Nathan also mentioned that Ava and the boys might join us on our tour and we sure hope they will. Do you know they have 3 boys now? Diana told me something funny-- with the vicious dogs running around, the baby's first samoan word was "halu" (get out). He thought that was the samoan word for dog, because that is what everyone says to the dogs.

I hope that Nathan and Ava don't mind me posting this Facebook picture of them in Tutuila-- there are only 6 readers of this blog so not a lot of people will see it. Ava's hair is so long now! And the baby is precious.

Expedition Afualo: mapping Aunu'u Island

Did you know that this is the best map of Aunu'u Island on the internet? I challenge you to find a better one. This map was lovingly documented by Google Maps; someone  crisscrossed the island on foot to provide us with images all over the island. I then took the Google GPS tracking pathways (shown in the map below in turquoise) and labeled them with the few geographic features I could find.

Click on the map to see a larger version

So let's map Aunu'u Island and provide the world with a better map!

We'll all take paper maps (about the size of a large index card) with us, and we will map any geographic features on the island, as well as important buildings like churches, malae fonos, and shipwrecks. If we sight any flora or fauna, like the purple swamphen (a gorgeous shade of violet, I understand), we'll note that too. After our vacation I will incorporate all of our observations into a detailed map, and put it out there for future hikers and naturalists.

I have long heard rumors of the shrieking eels, and the red quicksand, but I never saw any of it the last time I was there. Let's make sure to find it this time!

Don't forget: water, mozzie spray, map, pen, and reef walker shoes. We might be traversing some marshy areas.

The pictures below are from Google Maps. Yeah for google!

Ma'ama'a Cove

Very dangerous to swim here, but beautiful teapot action when the waves hit the cove.

Taro patch in the Lalopapa Marsh region.

Beach to the immediate left of Aunu'u Harbor, facing Tutu'ila Island.

Evacuation Point, at the crossroads between Taufusitele Marsh and Lalopapa Marsh.

If a tsunami warning sounds, run here!

Cove near Pala Lake

Quicksand at Pala Lake








Even google couldnt get close enough to catch a glimpse through the thick foliage to spot the shrieking eels that infest Red Lake. I hope we can find a guide who may be able to bring us near.

Finally, here is a picture of Aunu'u from the air, showing the geographical features of the island:

You can see Red Lake and Pala Lake, and you can see that the evacuation point is the highest point on the island. Red Lake looks so accessible here! It's hard to believe that the thick brush prevents anyone from approaching the lake and her eels.

Holy Mackerel Look at This Drink!

 

Leave it to Samoans to concoct a drink whose primary purpose is sweet sweet dessert.

This "drink" is called The Chocolate Bunny Mega Monster Cocktail.

It is served in a Tapas Bar in Apia Harbor called The Edge.

I dont know what is in it, but I've already texted The Edge and asked them if I can get a virgin version.

They texted me back and said Sure! They can make alcohol free versions!

Sandy took one look at it and wants to take the challenge.

We have plans to visit this place twice: Once for smoothies on the deck while watching the sun go down, and twice for dinner while watching the sun go down.





Here is the view from the deck.

Selected tapas:

Recommended: The Samoa Pie. I guess like a shepherd's pie but with a giant meatball?

The Edge Tapas Bar and Grill, in Apia Harbor

Driving in Samoa

Driving in American Samoa
Like the rest of the United States, American Samoa drives on the right side of the road, and their driver's wheel is on the left side of the car.

Here are the important road rules to know in AMERICAN Samoa:

• Seatbelts for all passengers are mandatory
• Speed limit is 25 MPH on the open road, and 15 MPH in busy areas
• Cannot use your cell phone while driving unless you have a hands free device.
• When approaching an intersection, the car to the left must yield to the car on the right.
• Signs are the same as US signage
• Cant drive on the sidewalk
• No coasting in neutral (to save gas)
• No littering by anyone in the car.
• Some roads traverse streams. You cannot enter a stream if you cannot see the roadbed.
• Night driving can be dangerous and should be avoided. (No street lights)

Driving in Samoa
In 2009, the country of Samoa switched over to driving on the left side of the road, like their close friend and trading partners Australia and New Zealand. The cars in Samoa are a mixture of right-hand-drive and left-hand-drive, although most of the new cars are right-hand-drive.

It is supposed to be a little disorienting, but not too difficult to navigate, as the speed limit is so slow you  get used to it. Here is a picture taken by Rhonda Albom of a typical road in Samoa once your get out of Apia. This is near the Malua Cave Pool, I believe, on the way to Sauniatu.

 You need a Samoan Driver's License, which will be issued by our car rental company. Please bring your local (US) drivers license. You will fill out a form, then pay $21, and you will get your Samoan license on the spot. Our car rental agency in Samoa (Samoana Car Rentals) knows that we are planning on getting 3 drivers licenses and will accommodate our request when we pick up our rental cars.

If you hit a pig or chicken on the road, drive straight on through to the next police station and let them handle it. Do not stop and attempt to negotiate with angry local villagers, but know that a size 2 pig costs WST110 ($50). Yes, you killed their to'onai, but why did they have it running loose? Now you have to pay car rental charges to fix the car. Of course, stop immediately if you hit a pedestrian. Finally, no one cares if you hit a dog. (!)

Speed limit in Samoa is 40 KPH on the open road and 25 KPH in the villages. And don't be doing donuts on the malae during Sa. Sa (evening prayer) happens right as the sun drops over the horizon. If you are driving or walking in a village at this time, stop, sit and murmer quietly in respect.

Here is a vid of driving in Samoa. It's neither busy nor complex.

Informal Road Rules:

• Take caution to avoid the people, children, pigs, dogs, and chickens in the road.
• When approaching a pedestrian (from behind), tap briefly on the horn.
• When passing another automobile, tap once on the horn before proceeding. After completing the pass, tap twice to thank the other driver, and he will respond with a single horn tap.

Car insurance is paid via Val's Visa Credit card which is used to rent the cars.
As a driver, you are responsible to walk all around your car and note any dings or scratches. Do not forget to look underneath the carriage of the car for damage underneath. Take pictures of any damage you see on the car. Then inspect the car daily.

 African Snail Spraying

Prior to driving your car onto the ferry  to Savaii, you must stop at the spray station about 300 yards from the ferry landing at Mulifanua Wharf. You drive slow and they spray your car's undercarriage to prevent the spread of the African snail. This spraying is free.

 

Addition of Fuipisia Waterfall after Sopo'aga Falls

Itinerary Change

Samoa has a ton of waterfalls, even after the rainy season, which is when we will be going.

We already had Sopo'aga Falls on our itinerary, as it is on the main tourist route from Apia to To Sua Ocean Trench, arguably the best tourist attraction on Upolu.

I recently found out about Fuipisia Falls, which is just upriver from Sopo'aga Falls, and I want to add it on to the schedule. We will cut our visit to Sopo'aga Falls short from 30 minutes to 15 minutes, which will give us time to visit Fuipisia Falls. I was surprised at how many tourists mention Fuipisia Falls as one of the highlights of their visit to Samoa.

Sopo'aga Falls is a falls overlook, you cannot get to the falls themselves. But it is picturesque and pretty, and the family there has cooking fale demonstrations and will help you make coconut cream. WST5 ($2.20) and there is a toilet and faucet there.

Fuipisia Falls, 2 miles upriver and 3 minutes' drive away, costs WST10 ($4.40) has the same cooking fale demonstrations, but presents a different waterfall experience. Here, you can walk up to the top of the falls and even swim in the pool at the top. The walk is manicured green grass with local fauna. If you get an adult guide (and not a kid), they will tell you about the plants which should be interesting. You have to traverse a stream to take this walk, and you might be able to jump from rock to rock if not slippery during the wet season. You have a great opportunity to take a selfie on a rock at the top of the falls. There are clean toilets here.

Apparently, the male guide is very handsy with female tourists, but we shouldn't have that problem.

Luggage Restrictions

Fiji Air has luggage restrictions. So does Polynesian Airways. 

Of the two, Polynesian Airways has the more restrictive luggage rules, so we should abide by them since we have no place to leave our items and will need to pack them everywhere we go. Pack light!


Update: I can try to see if we can drop off a box of items at our rental house in Apia, containing things we won't be using until we get to Upolu. Please let me know if you want me to do this. Otherwise we will carry everything through from Upolu to Tutuila and back to Upolu.



Fiji Air Cabin (Carry On):

Carry-on baggage: 1 piece, 7 Kg max (15.4 lbs). Maximum dimensions are 55 x 40 x 23cm. In addition to this piece, you can bring on a small personal item such as a laptop or purse.

Intl Check In: 3 hours prior--to 1 hour prior.

Cannot put in your cabin luggage:
Not in your carry on luggage: Knives, metallic objects, umbrella, spare parts. No liquids over 100ml or 3.4 fl oz. Smaller sized liquid may be carried in carry on luggage if it is placed in a clear sealable plastic bags. Water purchased in airport departure areas can be carried on board. Lithium metal or lithium ion cells and batteries are permitted in the devices they power. Max 2 spare batteries- must be  in carry-on luggage.




Your cabin luggage must fit into their template. If it doesn't fit completely, the excess baggage fee is between $96 and $120 US dollars. (Depends upon origination point)






Fiji Air Checked baggage:
1 bag, 23 Kg max (50 lbs). Total dimensions (height x length x depth) = 158cm (62")

Polynesian Airways:
Checked Baggage: 2 bags with a total of 20 Kg max (44 lbs) for both bags.
Carry-on baggage: 1 piece, 5 Kg max (11 lbs). No bulky items even if less than 5 Kg. Carry on baggage must fit under the seat in front of you. No overhead bins. NO FOOD items. You can probably get away with a snack, or candy, but no cases of saimin! No size two pigs! No ulu in a burlap bag! No fish packed in a styro chest sealed with duct tape!

Intl Check In: 2 hours prior, to 1/2 hour prior.

Identification at Check In: Valid passport with paid itinerary from Airline. Must reconfirm travel at least a day prior to scheduled flight departures.

Twin otter aircraft for Polynesian Airlines. So, no overhead bins.